(4) 4-6 Corinne La Mer, who has lived all her life on an unspecified Caribbean island, fights off a violent uprising of jumbies, fantastical indigenous creatures led by a female figure she discovers was actually her dead mother's sister. Despite some heavy-handed messaging, Baptiste's story, based on a Haitian folktale, is action-packed and original with an appealing cast of characters.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ben Hodson. In this useful and lively primer, riotous, colorful cartoons bounce somewhat chaotically across pages devoted to helping readers recognize and practice pronunciation of short vowel sounds. Each of the five short vowels is arranged in a brief story. "Gran on a Fan" encourages recognizing and reading words with short a's; "Pets in Jets" provides practice for the short e. A review is appended.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) YA The author, an Oklahoman who now directs youth ministries, describes growing up in poverty, neglected and abused. Eventually he's placed with a foster family that supports his natural athletic talent, provides stability and structure, and helps him imagine a different future. Although the prose lacks polish, the narrative is affecting. An honest portrait of a tough life painstakingly transformed by determination and hope.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) K-3 Bear George finds a book in the woods and seeks someone in a nearby village to teach him how to read. His sudden appearance frightens everyone but young Clementine. The two become fast friends and reading buddies. This story features a strong central character and a gentle but pointed exploration of the value of thinking differently. The warm illustrations are filled with personality.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 4-6 Set at a late-nineteenth-century logging camp in northern Michigan, the humorous story details the exploits of eleven-year-old Stanley Slater, who's known for his overactive imagination, energy, and scrapbooking talents, and who's on a quest to find his long-lost dad. Larger-than-life characters dominate; standouts include Stanley's impossible cousin Geri, his strict grandmother, and lumberjack Stinky Pete (who may be a murderer).

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 The narrator watches as his cat drives a car pulling some unusual cargo. Three dead European writers, a black swan and some dwarfs, a snow globe filled with butterflies, for example--and each group asks him a question. The dreamlike narrative may mystify young readers, but the illustrations, most double-page spreads with absurdist touches, arrest the eye and activate the imagination.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 4-6 WWI veteran Henry Friston describes to a young reporter how he came to adopt an Egyptian tortoise. Friston brings the tortoise (whom he names Ali Pasha) home to England and tenderly cares for him throughout his long life. Based on true events, the historical narrative is most appealing for its genuine warmth. Soft watercolor illustrations complement the story; archival photographs appear on the endpapers.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tull Suwannakit. Mr. and Mrs. Cripps become the reluctant owners of an unnamed dog, who names himself "Sad." When the Cripps move away, leaving Sad behind, the family that moves into the house includes a boy named Jack who loves "Lucky" on sight. Muted watercolors capture a wide range of emotion and personality, both human and canine, in a winsome, winning tale.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Allen Garns. Hassan, an Egyptian boy, joins Howard Carter's dig to locate King Tut's tomb, but the project's Egyptian foreman doesn't trust this grandson of tomb robbers. Hassan exudes determination, but his personal motivation for wanting to work on the dig isn't clear. Each of the pages is awash in color, with a full-page illustration and spot art on every spread. An author's note gives historical context.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) 4-6 Fact Finders: Primary Source History series. Clear double-page spreads feature a variety of visual elements including charts, graphs, and maps; reproduced photographs and documents; and sidebars with critical-thinking questions. The series purports to promote the importance of primary source material, though the direct quotes in red font are injected rather unnaturally into the narratives. Still, these are adequate starting points for American history research. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Fact Finders: Primary Source History titles: A Primary Source History of U.S. Independence and A Primary Source History of Slavery in the United States.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 First Look at America's Presidents series. Each highly abbreviated biography of a U.S. president uses a variety of visual and textual elements arranged informally on pages designed to look like cork bulletin boards. The brief, uninspired narratives are supported by photographs or period illustrations with captions and short sidebars in campaign-button graphics. Two famous quotes are appended. There are four other spring 2015 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following First Look at America's Presidents titles: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and James Madison.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 First Look at America's Presidents series. Each highly abbreviated biography of a U.S. president uses a variety of visual and textual elements arranged informally on pages designed to look like cork bulletin boards. The brief, uninspired narratives are supported by photographs or period illustrations with captions and short sidebars in campaign-button graphics. Two famous quotes are appended. There are four other spring 2015 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following First Look at America's Presidents titles: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and James Madison.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 First Look at America's Presidents series. Each highly abbreviated biography of a U.S. president uses a variety of visual and textual elements arranged informally on pages designed to look like cork bulletin boards. The brief, uninspired narratives are supported by photographs or period illustrations with captions and short sidebars in campaign-button graphics. Two famous quotes are appended. There are four other spring 2015 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following First Look at America's Presidents titles: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and James Madison.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 First Look at America's Presidents series. Each highly abbreviated biography of a U.S. president uses a variety of visual and textual elements arranged informally on pages designed to look like cork bulletin boards. The brief, uninspired narratives are supported by photographs or period illustrations with captions and short sidebars in campaign-button graphics. Two famous quotes are appended. There are four other spring 2015 books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers the following First Look at America's Presidents titles: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and James Madison.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) 4-6 Fact Finders: Primary Source History series. Clear double-page spreads feature a variety of visual elements including charts, graphs, and maps; reproduced photographs and documents; and sidebars with critical-thinking questions. The series purports to promote the importance of primary source material, though the direct quotes in red font are injected rather unnaturally into the narratives. Still, these are adequate starting points for American history research. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Fact Finders: Primary Source History titles: A Primary Source History of U.S. Independence and A Primary Source History of Slavery in the United States.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) PS Photographs by Jeff Finkelstein. A young girl and her observant Jewish family welcome the girl's new baby brother with a bris. Flip the book over, and the same girl and her family welcome a new baby sister with a brit bat. There's an unevenness in tone: the boy's text is slightly more positive and conveys a greater excitement. The warm photographs provide a good sense of both ceremonies.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Byrne. Joey uses an oversize cardboard box for pretend play. But the box is too big for his room, so Joey brings it to school and organizes a food drive. Though the cartoon illustrations lack intimacy and personality, Joey is an appealing character and the message to encourage imagination and charitable acts is admirable (if thinly veiled).

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) YA A somewhat melodramatic but nevertheless appealing retelling of the infamous crime that gripped Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1892, when Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her father and stepmother in cold blood. The sometimes clumsy, clichéd dialogue doesn't overly detract from the fast-paced narrative told in the believable voice of the family maid, Bridget.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 1-3 In their second adventure (Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey), self-appointed detective Pigsticks and his hamster sidekick, Harold, race to find a thief on the loose in Tuptown so the annual Butterfly Ball doesn't get canceled. Copious cartoon-style illustrations (frequently including speech bubbles) pair perfectly with a fast-moving text. Short sentences and lots of action make this book ideal for newly independent readers.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) K-3 A Kentucky soldier stationed in the Philippines during WWII befriends a little girl and plays a pivotal role in helping the girl and her fellow villagers survive. Years later, veteran "Tucky Jo" and "Little Heart" meet again, and a grown-up Little Heart returns the man's kindness. Polacco's signature pencil and marker illustrations, replete with detail and emotion, accompany this moving true story.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn